The fact that smart phones come with GPS features is a pretty well established fact, and the fact that Apps such as Tom Tom’s GPS navigation feature exists for the Apple iPhone means that even the established sat nav service companies recognize the value of the hardware that a typical smart phone offers.
But when companies such as Nokia and Google announce that they will be offering sat nav services for free, it certainly changes the perspective on what technologies people should be investing in.
Just several years ago, GPS was still in its infancy and having a dedicated device in a vehicle was a sign of luxury. Now, it is a near requirement for people who need to get to locations fast without having to spend much time learning new directions (or having to stop and ask for them). GPS is slowly becoming a basic necessity. And just as companies such as TomTom and Garmin have started growing, the advancement of sat nav services also grew for smart phones.
More than just location based services Nokia and Google are able to offer full, voice guided turn by turn navigation with additional features such as live traffic updates, weather conditions and even points of interest.
This however is not going to kill companies such as TomTom and Garmin. But they will have to turn to other markets. Unlike Google, sat nav companies compile their own maps. While community based maps often contain plenty of great local information, their reliability is not one that Google is able to assure –unlike that of a professional GPS service.
Of course, while the average person does not need that much accuracy, professionals do. This means that people who seriously need sat nav –such as delivery personnel, emergency volunteers, law enforcers, fire fighters and the like will still need devices such as TomTom’s onboard GPS units.
